After a solid start to the season posting a 5-4 record, the JV boys’ basketball team looked to finish out the second half of the season on a strong note and prepare the boys for varsity.

The boys played Magruder Jan. 11 in a back-and-forth battle. Both teams came out on their game and in the first half the teams were neck and neck with each other. The Patriots managed to pull ahead before half and take a 34-27 lead heading into the break. The Colonels came out on fire from three to start the second half and despite the fourth quarter push from the Patriots, they weren’t able to get the win, falling just short 62-60. With that loss the Patriots would drop to 5-5 on the season.
Next the boys headed to play their divisional rivals Richard Montgomery on Jan. 13, in a big game if the Patriots wanted to keep a winning record. Unfortunately for the Patriots the game was all Rockets, as the Patriots were unable to keep up with the Rocket’s offense and would trail all game. The Patriots would lose another 65-47.

After two losses in the row, the Patriots were desperately looking for a win against Kennedy on Jan. 17. Unfortunately for the Patriots, they couldn’t get their offense going and lost their third straight game. With that loss their record dropped to 5-7, leaving the players disappointed. “We have had a rough stretch of game recently, but I’m confident we can get back on the right pace,”fFreshman Bryan Ngouzo said.

On a three-game skid the Patriots were desperately searching for a win, and that is exactly what they did. They would go on to have three dominant victories in a row. First 60-20 over Northwood on Jan. 20, then 75-42 over Rockville on the 24th, and finally 75-45 over Wheaton on the 30th. Through this stretch the Patriots were led offensively by freshman point guard Chase Mitchell and sophomore point guard Shayan Kurup. “It’s good to get back on a roll and hopefully we can keep this momentum going forward,” Kurup said.

The boys looked to ride the momentum into their last game of the season against divisional rival Whitman, on Feb. 1, and keep their win streak going. The Vikings, still upset about last time the Patriots played them, took an early lead. The Patriots would trail most of the game, and with five minutes left, the Patriots would find themselves down 15. But the boys battled back and thanks to big shots from Mitchell, the game was all tied up at 62-62 with one minute left to go. The Patriots would end up getting the win 65-62, thanks to strong defense down the final stretch and big free throws from Mitchell and sophomore forward Jack Sullivan to push the game out of reach. With this win the Patriots would finish the season on a four-game win streak and with an overall record of 9-7. “I’m proud of how we battled back tonight, and how we finished the season out,” Mitchell said after the final game.

With the JV season over, Kurup and Sullivan were pulled up to practice and play with varsity for the remainder of the season. Both new varsity players will look to learn the varsity expectations and look to make an immediate impact on the floor.